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Countess Dracula is a 1971 British horror movie based mostly on the legends surrounding the “Blood Countess” Elizabeth Báthory. It’s in some ways atypical of Hammer’s canon, trying to broaden their output from Dracula and Frankenstein sequels. Filmed in 1970, it was launched in January 1971.
The movie was produced by Alexander Paal and directed by Peter Sasdy, each Hungarian émigrés working in England.
Plot:
In seventeenth century Hungary, Countess Elisabeth Nádasdy (Ingrid Pitt) and her mattress companion and steward, Captain Dobi (Nigel Inexperienced), are snubbed in a will on the expense of the younger and the too previous to learn. The Countess takes it somewhat higher than Dobi as she has just lately found the key to eternal youth, a fast tub within the blood of murdered younger ladies.
Alas, the fridge is empty of such commodities and the impact is disappointingly short-lasting, so she retains her maintain on Dobi while enlisting him to furnish her with the required native younger girls. Her rejuvenated younger self takes benefit but additional of the scenario and embarks on a sexual affair with simpering Lieutenant Toth (Sandor Elès), the son of a well-known common who is keen to equally make his mark.
To remain in her youthful state, it begins to require ever extra victims and the path or cold corpses is starting to arouse suspicion. To throw locals off the scent, she assumes the id of her daughter, Ilona (Lesley-Anne Down) who has been absent for a while, squirrelled away by her mom in a hut within the forest, lest anybody discover it odd that they’re a surprisingly related age.
Nonetheless, the resident of the fortress library, Fabio (Maurice Denham), begins to suspect one thing dodgy is afoot, not least when he practically stumbles upon an unlucky assembly between native buxom harlot, Ziza (Andrea Lawrence), Toth and the Countess, an encounter which Ziza doesn’t fare nicely in.
Upon discovering that truly, solely virgins delay the youthful look, but extra assaults happen nevertheless it’s all an excessive amount of for Fabio who realises he should inform Toth – alas, too gradual and he meets his finish by the hands of Dobi who has been blackmailed into defending the Countess any approach he can.
A barely hurried marriage is organized between Toth and Elisabeth however lo’! Ilona makes a shock look. The congregation can solely stand aghast as Elisabeth’s ageing/marrying/slaying dilemma begins to unravel earlier than them…
Purchase Blu-ray: Amazon.co.uk
Audio commentary with Ingrid Pitt and horror consultants Kim Newman and Stephen Jones.
Unique Theatrical Trailer
Archive interview with Ingrid Pitt (Tonight, 1999, 6min)
50 Years of Hammer – information function concerning the celebrations (Meridan TV, 1999, 2min)
Thriller episode: The place The Motion Is that includes Ingrid Pitt (60min). The entire sequence can be out there by means of Community
Conceptions of Homicide episode: Peter And Maria: a 1970 play about mass homicide with Nigel Inexperienced (25min)
In depth picture galleries (New and in HD)
Commemorative booklet
Our overview:
A very unusual entry into Hammer’s canon, at a time when their star was nonetheless shining brightly. Enjoying somewhat extra like a historic yarn (more-so than the likes of Rasputin) than a horror movie, not to mention a vampire movie, there’s a lot to admire right here nevertheless it’s finally a disappointing, unsatisfying expertise.
Sasdy proved himself to be a director of some fashion for Hammer’s personal Arms of the Ripper from the identical 12 months however Countess Dracula suffers from being overly ponderous, seemingly unable to determine on historic accuracy, flashes of flesh or geysers of blood – finally it panics however too late for a discernible decision.
These anticipating fangs, fog and fluttering bats will definitely be upset – this concentrates on the Countess’ plight, as she sees it, giving all of the characters a good fist of stating their ethical standpoint nevertheless it turns into unnecessarily wordy and redundant comparatively early.
It’s troublesome to root for the Countess, killing and preening; Dobi exhibits actual promise as a personality however is lowered to a stooge; Toth is a sap of the very best order and wishes a very good telling off leaving solely a librarian and a neighborhood tart as characters of actual curiosity.
Although an unique imaginative and prescient and alluring mysterious each on-screen and in ‘real-life’, solely the really courageous of coronary heart would name Ingrid Pitt a very good actress, although she is served nicely by agreeable ageing results courtesy of Tom Smith, who labored on a number of Hammer movies and in a while the likes of The Shining and Return of the Jedi.
Certainly, Pitt herself was a alternative for Diana Rigg who finally declined the position. Sandor Elès (The Evil of Frankenstein) presumably makes the lower because of being Hungarian, while Nigel Inexperienced (The Masque of the Purple Dying) exhibits actual promise however was sadly lower down on the age of solely forty-seven the next 12 months.
Maurice Denham basically channels Merlin and Lesley Anne-Down finally has little or no to do – much more attention-grabbing is ravishing Andrea Lawrence, who hopped, skipped and jumped from On the Buses to I’m Not Feeling Myself Tonight and Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell.
The somewhat unconvincing mountains of Japanese Europe are, in fact, Pinewood Studios, however the interiors are maybe the movie’s biggest asset, being leftover from the 1969 historic big-budget manufacturing Anne of the Thousand Days.
Although there’s a affordable quantity of flesh on show, the murders are comparatively few on-screen – that stated, there are some juicy moments involving a hair-pin and a properly judged scene of Elisabeth bathing which is extra wistful than gratuitous.
Harry Robertson’s rating performs nicely alongside the relative drama on-screen, a mixture of sturdy orchestral sweeps and using a Hungarian cymbalom (like a harpsichord) so as to add some flavours of the unknown setting.
The dialogue is basically forgettable, other than some slutty banter and Ziza uttering a barely credible ‘juicy pair’ line however there’s something concerning the movie that lingers within the reminiscence and, although not particularly a hit, a mark of Hammer’s bravery that this appeared when it did.
Daz Lawrence, MOVIES & MANIA
” …intriguing for its emphasis on corruption and decay somewhat than vampirism. Pitt is great because the baleful Countess.” Geoff Andrews, Time Out Movie Information e-book
Purchase: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com
Solid and characters:
Ingrid Pitt … Countess Elisabeth
Nigel Inexperienced … Captain Dobi
Sandor Elès … Imre Toth
Maurice Denham … Grasp Fabio
Persistence Collier … Julie
Peter Jeffrey … Captain Balogh
Lesley-Anne Down … Ilona
Leon Lissek … Sergeant of Bailiffs
Jessie Evans … Rosa
Andrea Lawrence … Ziza
Susan Brodrick … Teri
Ian Set off … Clown
Nike Arrighi … Gypsy Lady
Peter Could … Janco
John Moore … Priest
Filming places:
Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England
Technical specs:
1 hour 33 minutes
Eastmancolor
Side ratio: 1.66: 1
Audio: Mono
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